At the end of January, dance retailers from across the globe gathered at MODE Market in Atlanta, GA, a trade show bringing together 50 brands, over 125 retail stores, and nearly 500 attendees. The event marked a significant moment for an industry that faced considerable challenges in 2024, from changes in families’ discretionary spending to storefront access issues.
“The positivity, you can feel it in the air,” said Kelly McCaughey, North American Sales and Marketing Director for Só Dança and one of MODE’s organizing board members, at the event. “We’re all competitors, but we’re all here to benefit the industry of dance.”
MODE’s three-day event featured strategy-focused business seminars, equipping retailers with valuable tools for navigating current challenges. Whether you made it to MODE or not, these top takeaways from industry leaders will help you thrive in today’s market.
Lesson 1: Wear Only Three Hats
Linda Maslechko is a former stockbroker-turned-retailer-turned-coach whose track record includes helping one dance-retail client reduce inventory by $125,000 while increasing revenue by $250,000 in only 18 months. In her seminar “3 Steps to Maximize Profit & Reduce Overwhelm,” she emphasized that while store owners can’t wear every hat, they must excel in three crucial roles: chief executive officer (CEO), chief inventory officer (CIO), and chief financial officer (CFO).
As CEO, owners should focus on big-picture vision and execution. As CIO, “the key is buying the right inventory, in the right amount, at the right time,” she advised. “Time is usually the thing that retailers get wrong. They hold too much inventory for too long.” The CFO role looks at the whole financial picture to budget effectively and take actions accordingly.
Lesson 2: Transform Order-Takers Into Order-Makers
“Train your people to maximize every engagement,” urged retail expert Marvin Montgomery in his seminar. With 30 years of retail expertise, Montgomery shared that success requires comprehensive staff training in five key areas:
- Customer engagement: How should your staff greet customers in the first few seconds to make a lasting impression?
- Effective questioning and listening skills: “[Your employees] are not there to give a presentation on your store,” Montgomery said. Instead, they should assess and respond to the customer’s needs. “You want your people to become solution-providers.”
- Product features and benefits: Staff should focus on communicating the value of your products. “People don’t buy features, they buy what the feature will do for them,” Montgomery explained.
- Overcoming customer resistance: All store workers should be prepared to respond to common objections—whether on price, a desire to purchase later, opinions on competitors, or reluctance to change from familiar products or brands.
- Closing for commitment: Staff should master techniques for asking for the sale and closing the deal. Additionally, reinforcing the relationship after the sale with gratitude and follow-up is crucial for long-term success.
Lesson 3: Leverage Digital Presence Strategically
“You have to be on Google, you need to have a website, and you need good reviews,” said Patrice Cowell of Bellissimo Dance Boutique in Franklin, TN, a panelist in the “Retail Real Talk: Expert Strategies for Thriving in Today’s Market” seminar. Some retailers are finding success by incentivizing reviews with small discounts and maintaining active social media presences. Rose Kirshner, a panelist in the seminar and owner of SF Dance Gear, added that on social media, retailers should show who they are and what they want people to know about them. “That’s what makes you stand out from the Amazons, Targets, and Walmarts. Make it personal.”
Successful social strategies shared by other retailers in the room include batch-filming content that solves common customer problems, following and engaging with local dancers, and sharing spontaneous behind-the-scenes content that highlights the store’s personality.
Lesson 4: Build Strong Studio Relationships
“You need to know the person at the [local studio’s] front desk. More so than the owner, more so than the teacher,” said “Retail Real Talk” panelist Lorna Handy, owner of DanceMax Dancewear in Marietta, GA. Other relationship-building strategies from attending retailers include proactively reaching out to studios, getting on their email lists to anticipate needs, and even offering partnership incentives, such as donating a portion of sales back to the studio.
For sensitive decisions like pointe shoe readiness, retailers at Dr. Emily Love’s “Pointe Readiness” seminar advocated for facilitating connections between dance teachers and medical professionals, ensuring that approval comes from qualified experts before dancers arrive at the store. This collaborative approach can help protect both dancers and retailers while maintaining positive studio relationships.
Shaté L. Hayes is a former professional dancer and choreographer who now works as a writer and a producer. She is the founder of ThePurposePost.com.